By the way - in case it has become lost in all this chat about Cork - Mueller's statement about DUB being an "alternative hub to Heathrow" is referring to the UK market, and not Ireland.

It's similar to Schiphol's claims to be Heathrow's third runway/the hub airport for all of the UK:



KLM serves more points in the UK than BA (aka "London" Airways) does.

DUB has the advantage over AMS that there is no backtracking (given that EI only markets its transatlantic offering in the UK, all flights will be westbound on the outbound), plus in many cases, US customs and immigrations formalities can be completed in DUB.